"Every black kid has that moment where he has to decide to accept the
armor that his parents present to him to get through life as an American
black male, or walk around naked. And the crazy part is, it’s probably
something most people outside of the black community never see." - What It's Like Being a Young Black Man in America

"What happens when he's grown up and not so cute and non-threatening?
When he's walking through the world alone? No more the floppy-eared,
playful youngster -- he's now the feral stray dog, worthy of
extermination." - Dear White MomsThe above brought the following picture to mind especially when I'm told how adorable my now 4 month old son is; I wonder how they'll feel when he's 16 and towering above them?:

"And please, in your Facebook feed, share something that shows this
matters to you. Don't say you don't want to be political. Don't tell me
you don't want to offend people. Because all that means is you don't
want to get into it with your clueless white friends." - Dear White Moms

"White allies, we need your voices. We need you to say that this
is deplorable. Your silence does nothing and if you’re neutral on this,
then you’re on the wrong side. Actually, your silence does do something.
It says 'It’s okay that this is happening.' That hurts us all. Speak
up." - About Ferguson, White Allies and Speaking Up When It Matters

And to the people who don't understand "the talk" or the looting (which I do not condone, but I see it as a symptom) or anything else manifesting from a country built on the oppression of a group of people here's what I have to say: As a woman married to a black man I can empathize, but I don't even try
to act like I KNOW what he's gone through when he tries to explain to me
the injustices he's experienced at the hands of the NYPD all because he
was "being while black."

If it's not your reality please don't
disqualify the experience.

And for those wondering what to do next, here's a request from Michael Brown's family via ABC News:

"We are profoundly disappointed that the killer of our child will not face the consequence of his actions. While we understand that many others share our pain, we ask that you
channel your frustration in ways that will make a positive change. We
need to work together to fix the system that allowed this to happen. Join with us in our campaign to ensure that every police officer working the streets in this country wears a body camera. We respectfully ask that you please keep your protests peaceful.
Answering violence with violence is not the appropriate reaction. Let's not just make noise, let's make a difference."